| Description: | Located outside the gateway of the City Palace, Jantar Mantar is an open-air observatory and one of the main tourist attractions of the city. The Sanskrit term of Jantar Mantar, which when translated means a 'Magical Device' has always had a mystical gleam about it. Built in 1728 by the talented Maharaja Jai Singh II, the colossal Jantar Mantar at first glance appears to be a curious yet interesting collection of sculptures. Contrary to this in fact each construction has a specific purpose, such as measuring the positions of stars, altitudes and azimuths, and calculating eclipses. The Jantar Mantar at Jaipur was conceived as a quest for discovering the mysteries of the Cosmos. It was built not only to verify astronomical observations made at Jaipur, but also to stimulate interest in astronomy, which had become enmeshed in theory, superstition and religious jargon. |
